Wakiso communities tipped on safe motherhood

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The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), together with the National Midwives Association of Uganda, are using community dialogues to combat the rising maternal and postpartum deaths for safe birth.

This is mainly focused on bringing together mothers and fathers to share their experiences and finding solutions about postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), excessive bleeding after birth, a condition that happens to mothers that contributes to 42% of maternal deaths in the country, according to the health ministry.

Under the theme: Together for Safe Birth, the Ganda Village community in Wakiso district shared their experiences, where the majority of the women had experienced this condition. For instance, Catherine Nantaba gave birth but escaped death thanks to the caretakers' alertness.

“I delivered my baby normally, but unfortunately, I started experiencing excessive and constant bleeding. Despite following the doctor's advice, the bleeding persisted. I eventually lost consciousness, but fortunately, my caretaker sought help,” Nantaba said.

Catherine Nantaba, who gave birth at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, recounted her harrowing experience. (Credit: John Musenze)

Another woman shared her story of giving birth at home with the assistance of a traditional birth attendant:

"After delivery, I started bleeding heavily. The attendant didn't know what to do, and I was rushed to the hospital. I was lucky to have received timely medical attention, but I know many women who weren't as fortunate".

National Midwives Association of Uganda president, Annette Evelyn Kanyonyozi, emphasised the importance of community dialogues in addressing gaps in postnatal care.

“With such dialogues, we meet with men, women, and young people to understand what is lacking and advise them on how to prevent PPH. PPH is the leading cause of maternal mortality in Uganda, and all mothers are at risk during and after delivery,” Kanyonyozi said.

Ganda village community in Wakiso district during the community dialogue about PPH. (Credit: John Musenze)

Kanyonyozi identified a lack of antenatal visits, closely spaced pregnancies and pre-eclampsia as other causes of maternal mortality.

Dr Bagala Johnpaul, a technical officer and gynaecologist from the health ministry, advised women to deliver at health facilities, especially government hospitals, which have experts trained to handle PPH. He also announced that the Government is training health workers, particularly midwives, on how to safely care for mothers after birth.

"We are establishing a mandatory in-service training programme, called the Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Training Program, to remind our frontline healthcare workers of aspects of respectful maternity care and skill aspects that we want them to know," Bagala said.

According to UNFPA, community dialogues provide a platform for connecting stakeholders, raising awareness, sharing experiences, and finding solutions to tackle PPH, a leading cause of maternal deaths.